Smoking
claims the lives of 450,000 Americans each year; 150,000 of these are women.
Lung cancer is now the number one cause of cancer death among American women;
cigarette smoking is its primary cause. The good news is that new smoking starts
have decreased in almost every age group and demographic; the bad news is that
new smoking continues to rise among teenage girls. To draw attention to this--and
to promote overall smoke-free action, advocacy and awareness especially among
teenage girls--the National Council on Women's Health is hosting the "Race Against
Teen Smoking", June 3, 2001 in Central Park, New York City.